Global Courant
Voting has begun in a closely contested election, with support for Ukraine’s defense against Russian invasion a key focus.
Slovaks are voting in a closely contested parliamentary election between left-wing former Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has pledged to end military aid to neighboring Ukraine, and pro-Western liberals.
The latest opinion polls showed the two parties at a deadlock, with the winner expected to get the first chance to try to form a government to replace the interim administration that has ruled the country since May.
A Fico-led government would mean Slovakia, a country of 5.5 million, would join Hungary as European Union countries challenging the bloc’s consensus support for Ukraine, just as the EU seeks to strengthen solidarity in her opposition to Russia’s invasion.
It would also add to a bloc of former communist states in the east, with governments publicly hostile to liberalism.
A Progresivne Slovensko (Progressive Slovakia, PS) government would stay the course on foreign policy, maintain Slovakia’s strong support for Ukraine and place the country in a pro-integration and liberal camp in the EU on issues as a majority vote to make the bloc stronger. flexible, green policies and LGBTQ rights.
Neither Fico’s SMER-SSD (Directorate-Slovak Social Democracy) nor the PS, led by European Parliament Vice President Michal Simecka, are expected to win a majority, meaning the future government will likely depend of the results of six smaller parties, from libertarians to far-right extremists.
The moderate-left Hlas (voice) of Peter Pellegrini, a former SMER-SSD member and prime minister from 2018-2020, is expected in third place and may have the last word. He has kept his options open, but said this week that his party was closer to Fico.
Robert Fico, left, leader of the SMER-SSD party, and Michal Simecka, leader of the Progressive Slovakia Party, greet each other before a televised debate (Radovan Stoklasa/Reuters)
Rising pro-Russian sentiment
Fico is based on dissatisfaction with a bickering center-right coalition whose government collapsed last year, causing these elections to take place six months earlier.
Fico’s pro-Russian views follow the mood in Slovak society, which has traditionally been relatively warm towards Russia. Pro-Russian stories and disinformation on social networks have strengthened sentiment.
Fico has pledged to end military supplies to Ukraine and pursue peace talks. This rhetoric echoes that of Hungary’s leader, Viktor Orban, but is rejected by Ukraine and its allies, who say it would only embolden Russia.
He has also criticized sanctions against Russia and defended national veto powers in the EU. But Fico was also a pragmatic leader in the past, who, according to foreign diplomats and analysts, was able to tame his turn in foreign policy.
Observers also say Slovakia – with the euro zone’s biggest budget deficit at almost 7 percent of gross domestic product this year – needs modernization and recovery funds from the EU. Any government would therefore think twice before coming into conflict with Brussels over issues such as the rule of law.
Polling stations open at 7am (0500 GMT) on Saturday and voting ends at 10pm (8pm GMT). Exit polls will be released after polls close and results will be available within hours.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talks to the press after meeting Slovak President Zuzana Caputova at the presidential palace in Bratislava in July (Radovan Stoklasa/Reuters)
